Asia/Pacific News
Three Pirate Attacks Hit Singapore and Malacca Straits
Three ships faced attempted pirate attacks in the Singapore and Malacca Straits this month, the Jakarta Post reports based on information from the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Center in Singapore.
Two incidents are said to have occurred on March 6, when the MT Sea Voyager and the MT Orpheas, both oil tankers headed for Karimun Kecil Island, Indonesia, were boarded by pirates just half an hour apart.
Members of the Sea Voyager's crew were held at knife-point by four armed pirates, but sounded an alarm and drove the attackers off.
Five pirates stole ship parts from the Orpheas a half-hour later, reports said.
The bulk carrier MT Cape Veni was approached by pirates in a motorboat on March 10 southwest of Nipa Island, but the attackers fled after an alarm was sounded.
In recent years, pirate attacks in Southeast Asia involving the theft of marine fuel have risen, according to some reports.
